


Coming to Terms

by MortalLover



Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:41:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24729121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MortalLover/pseuds/MortalLover
Summary: Set about 7-8 weeks after one of my other fics (I Just Can't). Daine and Numair reunite at Fort Mastiff during the turning point of the Scanran war.
Relationships: Numair Salmalín/Veralidaine Sarrasri
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Coming to Terms

Daine stood there, biting her lip, determined not to break the silence. The air was heavy with Numair's magic. Where it usually had a warm and comforting effect on her countenance, now it was making her more and more anxious the longer he stood there, silently staring at the ground. The blackness of his magic felt heavy on her chest, as it pressed into every corner of this barren room. It had been close to a candle mark, and he hadn't said a word. Not since Lord Wyldon had taken the report from Daine's trembling hand, and pulled the large wooden door shut behind him.

Daine desperately wanted to go back to an hour ago, when Numair had been frantically holding her, and passionately expressing his joy at her presence. It had been close to six weeks since she had seen him, and she felt they were wasting precious time. But she wouldn't be the one to start this argument. Not again.

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A knock sounded at the door, and Daine pulled herself out of Numair's grasp in time to turn and see Lord Wyldon entering. She had flown hard to fort Mastiff to deliver this report. Harder still because she knew her lover was here. She hadn't seen him in what felt like forever. Not since Haven. The war with Scanra had been difficult, and the last few weeks had been daunting. However, with the recent assassination of the mage Blayce, things appeared to be on the uptick.

Daine straightened her tunic where Numair had disrupted it, and nodded her head respectfully towards the commander. She bent, retrieving the complex knots of string she had looped around her ankle. It was one of George's codes. He had taken Daine's verbal report four days ago, and translated it into something tangible yet indiscernible to anyone but his trusted allies.

"I am sorry for the delay Lord Wyldon…please do not hesitate to ask for any clarification after you have deciphered the message." She handed him the brightly woven threads.

"Not at all Veraladaine," Lord Wyldon said. "The whisper man told us what happened at Hamerking, we are all just grateful you made it out alive." He took the thread from her hand, his fingers already running over the knots curiously. "In fact, I am surprised to see you here so soon." His eyes never left the thread. "I would have thought it would take longer to recover from a Scanran bolt."

Daine felt Numair stiffen, and the hand he had left possessively on her hip tightened. "What?" His voice was hard, but Daine barely heard it, as his magic cracked in the air. Lord Wyldon appeared to realize his mistake. He wrapped the knotted string around his hand, and quickly backed out of the door, pulling the heavy wood shut behind him with a loud thud.

Sighing, Daine slowly turned towards Numair. She attempted to reach for him, to place her palms on his chest in a calming gesture. He held his hands up and backed away, shaking his head.

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So, here they stood, at a stale mate. They had had this argument so many times. They could never come to terms. Numair hated that she took risks. Daine didn't know of any alternative. She hated to see him in pain, so she always begrudgingly agreed to be more careful, but in the field decisions had to be made quickly. Sometimes there was no other choice. She hadn't planned on telling him what had happened in Hamerking. Curse George. Numair didn't need to know. It would only cause him unnecessary pain. Besides…she had something else she needed to tell him. She sighed. Her news would have to wait. There would be no point talking to him when he was like this. Typically she would simply try and comfort him, but he had rejected her physical touch, going so far as to move to the corner of the room.

Daine was starting to lose her patience. She turned, making her way to the door, and placing her small hand on the teak handle. She placed her shoulder against the heavy wood, and it began to creak open.

"Wait." Numair's voice sounded hoarse, as if he had been crying, though Daine hadn't seen him shed a tear. It was enough to stop Daine in her tracks. She leaned her forehead against the door, but didn't turn around. "What happened in Hamerking?" His voice cracked, barely carrying across the room. Daine felt his hand on her shoulder. She hadn't realized he had crossed the room. She turned, surprised to see tear tracks on her lover's face. Perhaps he had been crying after all. Her frustration evaporated, and she pressed her palm to his cheek.

"I went to Hamerking to spy on Maggur." Daine felt Numair's entire body tense at her words, and his eyes closed, but he didn't pull away. "I was in animal form the entire time…but by the time I left the city, the Scanrans had noticed there were 'odd animals' about." She sighed. "Maggur knows Tortall has a wild mage, and I suppose he told his men to be on the look out." Daine shut her own eyes. She didn't want to see Numair's anguish when she told him the next part. "They shot me out of the sky Numair" her voice choked. "I lost my form, and…" she didn't know how to tell him. She dropped her hand from his cheek, and opened her eyes. His eyes had turned deep black, and his gaze held her own. She lifted the hem of her tunic, allowing him to see the long jagged scar, still pink from the recent healing, across her abdomen. She wondered what excuse she could have given him for it that would have been believable.

His fingertips grazed the pink flesh, shaking. He pulled her into his arms, and held her for what felt like hours. Finally, he broke the thick silence. "Don't tell me any more…you don't need to say any more." She felt his lips brush her temple with each word.

"Numair…there is something else I have to tell you." Her voice trembled, and she closed her eyes again. Her heart hammered against her chest, and she was sure he could feel it. "Wh…when they healed me…the healer saw something else." She forced herself to open her eyes and meet his gaze. This was not how she imagined telling him. "Numair, I…I…I'm pregnant." She gulped, dropping her gaze to his chest. "I didn't realize my charm was missing, and I guess…well at Haven." She stopped, glancing up at him through her lashes…surprised at the depth of emotion on his face. His fingers gently lifted her chin, claiming her mouth with his own.

"Magelet…only you could take a man from such a low to such a high in such a short period of time." His voice was husky, and caressed her skin, as his lips kissed her temples, her eyelids, her nose. She could feel his smile.

"Numair, I know this is what you wanted…but we are in the middle of a war. It's not exactly great timing. What are we going to do?" She glared at him, her earlier frustration with the temperamental mage returning.

"We are going to send you home to Corus" the joy in his voice both irked her and made her heart soar.

She would let him have this night…they would argue about it tomorrow. She didn't want to see his eyes shadowed again. She didn't want to hear him weep. His hands found the hem of her tunic, and she allowed him to remove it, her fingers already finding their way to his belt. He knelt, kissing the non-existent swell of her stomach, and reverently gazing up into her eyes.

Suddenly she wondered if she would have the strength to argue with him…or if she even wanted to. Perhaps this time they would truly come to terms.


End file.
